Between Lines
by Ovo
Summary: An enigmatic stranger comes to Kaidan for reasons all her own. Post ME2.


**_Between Lines_**

A single red rose bloomed in the coffee mug on his desk, the mug itself having been emptied of its coffee, scrubbed clean, and refilled with clean water.

It hadn't been there when he'd gone to take a shower.

"_Kaidan Alenko_?"

He spun around, scattering half the desk. Water spilled over his fingers as he caught the makeshift vase before it could soak his terminal, and he stilled it on principle, his attention tenuously divided between it and the stranger behind him.

The woman was wrapped in form-fitting light armor an intricate, custom-built design Kaidan didn't recognize. A compacted pistol was clipped to her hip. From under the cowl that shadowed her face, her eyes reflected unnaturally the dim light. Whatever she was, whomever she worked for, she hadn't shot him in the back; neither did she make a move against him now. With one hand poised delicately on her hip, opposite the gun, her stance revealed no fear, no forced relaxation at all. While he sized her up, she checked him out.

Abruptly, Kaidan cleared his throat. Instantly, the woman's eyes flicked upward to meet his, her smile accented by a clipped, appreciative _hmm._

"I'm sorry, have we met?" he asked, letting the question hang between them.

"Ah, you're an American," the woman said, giving a curious shake of her head, "How disappointing. And is it _Lieutenant_ or _Commander_? I was never clear on that one. Or are there more than one of you?"

Negotiating with strange, armed women sneaking into his apartment was an experience he hadn't prepared for. Kaidan drew a blank, and improvised as best he could. "Is there a reason you're in here, miss...?"

"Is there," she paused, lips parting in a thin grin, "a reason you haven't yet put on your shirt?"

He followed her quick glance to the shirt still bunched up in his hand. Pointedly holding her gaze, he promptly pulled it on. _Your turn, lady_. "Who are you?"

"Oh, you won't have heard of me," the woman blatantly dodged the question, shimmying a bit as she took a backwards step. "I'm not famous."

"Then it wouldn't hurt to give me a name, now, would it?"

The woman paused, her smile fading as she glanced at the door. She sighed, but, determined, she met his gaze; her grin returned, wider now.

"Alright; you caught me," she said. "My name is Kasumi. I need help."

A strange, armed woman, skilled enough that she could sneak into his building undetected, asking for _help_. That was definitely a new one.

"Help with what?" he asked, stringing his words together cautiously, "And why come to me?"

"Shepard," Kasumi replied similarly, testing her footing on very shaky ground, "thinks _very_ highly of you."

Kaidan stared, dumbfounded, futilely trying to follow his thoughts in three directions at once; Kasumi glanced at the door again, but this time held her ground and her smile.

"Just..." Holding up a hand, Kaidan struggled to sort the plethora of questions demanding answers. "Who are you with? Cerberus?"

The woman jerked her head to one side in surprise.

"Oh, no, no, no. No, you mistake me. I'm not _with_ anyone," she explained, rather quickly now, "I consider myself lucky to have found a friend in Shepard. If she trusts you, I can trust you."

"If you don't mind my asking," _Do you really want to hear the answer, Alenko? _"what exactly did she say about me to inspire that kind of confidence?"

Kasumi laughed; it was a measured, musical sound. "Nothing. She doesn't _talk_ about you at all, but... it is the way in which she doesn't talk about you that is telling. Silence has its own language, you see."

"Then if you're such good friends, why can't _she_ help you?"

Kasumi rolled her shoulders in a casual shrug. "Shep's gone."

"Gone?" Kaidan's blood froze. He stepped forward, almost against his volition. Certainly against his better judgement. "What do you mean, _gone_? Gone _where_?"

Kasumi raised her head, staring up at him from under the brim of her hood.

"No one knows," she answered honestly. "Most of her crew believe she's off... recuperating, or something. That she'll come back and we'll all _save the galaxy together_, or whatever it was that they were promised, but... no, I think not. In fact, those who are smart had better move on before Cerberus shows up to collect what Shepard stole from them."

"I..." Kaidan swallowed. What did it matter? He didn't know what Kasumi was talking about and he hadn't known where Shepard was to begin with. "You really don't have any idea?"

"Like I said, there are some things Shep didn't _talk_ about." Kasumi considered, then offered, "But if you want my best guess... I'd say she's gone after Sovereign."

"The Reapers, you mean?" Kaidan half-asked, half-corrected. Kasumi cocked her head, and he elaborated, "The Reapers, not Sovereign. Sovereign was destroyed."

"Yeah." Kasumi laughed again, this time nervous. "He was. And is. Dead and dreaming, Shepard claims."

That wasn't good. Unbidden, Kaidan remembered the final push to reach Saren. Standing on the outside of the tower, watching in nauseous fascination as Sovereign settled atop the spire as if it belonged there. The realization that, in some unfathomable way, it did. But Sovereign _was_ destroyed; why would Shepard be chasing after a dead Reaper?

Kaidan could only hope that Kasumi misunderstood, that Shepard was having nightmares or...

"Look," interrupting his train of thought, Kasumi's voice startled him, "I didn't come here to talk about Shep or the Reapers or the fate of the galaxy. I need help... down to earth, _personal_ help, and I really don't have any other options right now."

Realizing that he was still looming over her, Kaidan backed off, giving the woman space. "I can't promise you anything until you tell me what it is that you need me for."

"That's only fair," Kasumi agreed. Brushing past him, she stood in front of his desk, staring at the rose. She sighed softly and pressed her fingers to her lips. "But where to even start?"

* * *

**Working Title**: _Kasumi_

**Inspiration**: _Kaidan&Kasumi hijinks would be epic_, or so I imagined.

**Noteworthy**: For the record, I'm not sure if it ends here or not, so I'm leaving it "finished but open." When I started writing it I had a definitive one-shot with closed ending in mind, but I really wanna see more Kaidan&Kasumi for some reason, and if I can come up with a better reason than my initial idea... maybe it'll pan out.

**Disambiguation**: Always presume that Kasumi knows more than she is letting on.

**Published**: Originally to the KAST, now here.

_Derivative work of material © BioWare, Electronic Arts._


End file.
